Breakdown of Sommige fouten zijn onvermijdelijk, dat gebeurt nou eenmaal.
zijn
to be
dat
that (het-words)
de fout
the mistake
gebeuren
to happen
sommige
some
nou eenmaal
simply / just the way it is
onvermijdelijk
inevitable
Questions & Answers about Sommige fouten zijn onvermijdelijk, dat gebeurt nou eenmaal.
How does nou eenmaal change the meaning of the second half of the sentence?
The phrase nou eenmaal expresses inevitability or resignation. While dat gebeurt simply means "that happens," adding nou eenmaal changes it to "that's just the way it is" or "that just happens (and we cannot change it)." It shows acceptance of an unavoidable fact.
Could I use gewoon here instead of nou eenmaal to mean "that just happens"?
You could say dat gebeurt gewoon, but the feeling is slightly different. Gewoon implies that something is normal or an everyday occurrence. Nou eenmaal emphasizes that it is a fixed reality you have to accept, which perfectly matches the word onvermijdelijk (inevitable) in the first half of the sentence.
How is the word onvermijdelijk formed?
It comes from the verb vermijden (to avoid). By adding the negative prefix on- and the suffix -elijk (which turns verbs into adjectives, similar to "-able" in English), you get onvermijdelijk, meaning "unavoidable" or "inevitable."
Why is dat used instead of het in dat gebeurt nou eenmaal?
Here, dat is used as a demonstrative pronoun pointing back to the entire previous statement. When you refer back to a whole situation or a complete clause rather than a specific "het" word, you use dat to say "that (specific situation) happens."
Why is it sommige fouten with an -e at the end?
Sommig is an indefinite pronoun, but it follows the standard rules for adjectives. When used before a plural noun like fouten, it gets the -e ending. You will almost always see it written as sommige when modifying a noun in this way.
Learn Sommige fouten zijn onvermijdelijk, dat gebeurt nou eenmaal and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free